Microsoft has completely upended the conventions around major video game releases by revealing that its highly anticipated new game, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, will be instantly accessible to owners of its Game Pass subscription.
Gamers have typically had to pay large upfront payments in order to purchase expensive new releases outright.
They will now have the choice to subscribe for a significantly lower monthly fee in place of purchasing the most recent version of Call of Duty.
Christopher Dring, the head of GamesIndustry.biz, told the news that it was a “significant move” for the industry and Microsoft.
The tech giant has in the past made titles like 2023’s highly anticipated Starfield available to Game Pass customers on launch day,
Nevertheless, it has never achieved this with a release quite as important as Call of Duty.
With over 425 million lifetime sales, it is the fourth best-selling game series in history, earning tens of billions of dollars in the process.
It is undoubtedly the crown jewel of developer Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft controversially acquired in 2023 for an astounding $69 billion (then £56 billion).
But Microsoft is taking a chance on a different strategy rather than sticking with the tried-and-true methodology for selling it.
“Call of Duty is by far the biggest game to go into a subscription service on the day it is released,” Mr. Dring stated.
